Thanks to a standout performance by Charles Leclerc, Ferrari finally returned to the podium at the 2025 United States Grand Prix in Austin, a finish they hadn’t achieved since the Belgian Grand Prix. Beyond the result itself, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur emphasized how the team turned around a difficult weekend by unlocking the car’s potential through better optimization.
After a Friday qualifying session that left both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton disappointed, with over eight-tenths gap to pole, Ferrari managed a major turnaround in just 24 hours. Adjustments after the sprint race, including reopening parc fermé and optimizing the qualifying approach by sacrificing the final minutes of track evolution, proved effective.
These interventions dramatically reduced the qualifying deficit from more than eight-tenths on Friday to just two and a half tenths on Saturday, putting Ferrari back in contention for a podium and giving the team reason to smile again after a long dry spell. Fred Vasseur highlighted the importance of optimization, particularly in managing tire performance. “Honestly, I think it was about optimizing with a focus on the tires, because performance fluctuations were real for us, and somewhat the opposite for Red Bull and McLaren. If you don’t put the tires in the right window, you easily lose 5 or 6 tenths, which is what happened on Friday,” he told Sky Sport F1.
The challenge of maximizing tire performance in qualifying has been a theme for Ferrari all season, but Fred Vasseur also praised the team’s ability to react after a frustrating Friday. A potential that the drivers themselves weren’t sure could still be extracted was fully realized. “I’m very proud of the team. They delivered a strong recovery after Friday. The sprint race went well, qualifying went quite well, and today the pace was there,” he added.
Strategy and aggressive moves
Ferrari also opted for a more aggressive race strategy. Leclerc was the only driver among the top ten to start on soft tires, aiming to overtake the first two cars, run in clean air, and defend the position as long as possible. While this tactic was only partially successful—Leclerc didn’t challenge Max Verstappen—he impressed by overtaking Lando Norris on the outside of Turn 1. “We had to be aggressive with the strategy, aiming to be ahead after the first lap and Turn 1, but it worked only 50%. Still, it was a strong recovery after a difficult Friday,” Fred Vasseur explained.
He added that keeping Verstappen and Norris behind while running soft tires would have allowed the team to preserve position before switching to medium tires, a more optimal choice. “It worked 50%, and we weren’t far from finishing second. We had to make this gamble, and it paid off thanks to Charles’ excellent management,” he said, highlighting Leclerc’s lion-like defense that made the strategy possible.
Confidence boost for Leclerc and Ferrari
For Fred Vasseur, this result was not only good for the team but also for Leclerc, who had experienced inconsistent performance in previous races, partly due to difficulties in adapting to updates introduced before the summer break. “It’s good for the team and obviously for Charles. He had a solid weekend, was aggressive with the strategy, and it paid off. Holding Lando behind him on soft tires was a great performance, and I’m very happy for Charles. It’s a strong boost for the final five races,” said the Team Principal.
The result also helped Fred Vasseur address recent rumors from abroad, which suggested a possible arrival of Christian Horner at Ferrari, implying Vasseur might step aside. During the Austin weekend, however, Ferrari’s President publicly reaffirmed his confidence in Fred Vasseur, giving the team a clear mandate for the last five races, where they aim to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship and prepare for the 2026 technical cycle.
“I believe the situation is clear internally. Sometimes it’s hard to manage, also to maintain calm within the team, as it can be a distraction, but I think the message from the President is now very clear. We need to focus on the next five races to secure second place,” Fred Vasseur concluded.
